


Cell Reception

by pictureswithboxes



Series: Chaubrey Series [2]
Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, literally just fluff, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2019-03-09 05:19:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13474497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pictureswithboxes/pseuds/pictureswithboxes
Summary: "Her father had always said that if someone doesn’t answer after two rings, they didn’t care enough to answer. Therefore no one should have to care enough to wait for them. This piece of advice was terrible."





	Cell Reception

Aubrey always kept her cell phone volume on high when she went to bed, usually because people who called her at two in the morning had a legitimate reason. Like they were drunk and stranded in the city, or someone just died. Once Amy had called her to explain in detail how she’d dumped Bumper Allen, and while Aubrey was not thrilled to be woken up at two in the morning, she had to admit that the ridiculous story made up for it a little. It had also led to some odd dreams and her other friends deciding that they too could call Aubrey at two in the morning if the story was weird enough. 

It was true because Aubrey always answered her phone when it rang, which unfortunately was what got her in the stupidest situation she’d ever been in. That month, at least. 

“This is Aubrey Posen.” Aubrey answered sleepily after her phone rang twice, not really looking at the screen when she answered.

Her father had always said that if someone doesn’t answer after two rings, they didn’t care enough to answer. Therefore no one should have to care enough to wait for them. This piece of advice was terrible. It honestly took Aubrey a while to stop hanging up after the third ring, but she still felt the compulsion to answer promptly. 

“Will you grill me a cheese?” Was the question she was met with. It sounded like Chloe, but Chloe was in bed with her. 

Aubrey was not completely sure that she wasn’t still asleep. “Excuse me? Who may I ask is calling?”

“Babe, it’s me.” 

“Hold on one moment, please.” Aubrey mumbled before rolling over to face Chloe. 

Sure enough, she was there. She was facing the wall, but Aubrey knew that red mane of hair anywhere. 

Aubrey rolled back over. “Okay, I’m back.” She said, cursing the good manners that her father had raised her to have. “Why, may I ask, are you calling me from our shared bed?”

“I’ve been trying to wake you up for like five minutes...” Chloe said, Aubrey knew she was pouting. She could feel it. 

“Why were you trying to wake me up?” Aubrey asked. 

“Will you grill me a cheese?”

“What?”

“I really want a grilled cheese, but I’m super comfy, so...”

“You want me to grill you a cheese?” 

“Yes.”

Aubrey was quiet for a moment, her jaw hanging open a little.

“Bree?” Chloe asked, making Aubrey’s brow furrow.

Why were they still talking on the phone. “I’m gonna have to let you go.” Aubrey said, hanging up and rolling over to face Chloe. “You seriously want me to make you a grilled cheese?”

Chloe rolled over to face Aubrey and smiled. “Yes.”

“And you spent five minutes trying to wake me up?” Aubrey asked.

Chloe always got what she wanted, always. And she somehow made Aubrey want it as well. She wanted Beca to join the Bellas, she wanted the Bellas to sing together one last time, she wanted a house in the city with almost no yard instead of one in the suburbs with a large yard. And now she wanted grilled cheese at two in the morning. Aubrey knew that she was going to give in at some point, and she knew that Chloe knew. 

God, Chloe looked smug.

“Yeah.” 

“You could’ve made yourself a grilled cheese in that amount of time.” Even if Aubrey was going to end up digging through the refrigerator looking for the perfect cheese for Chloe’s sandwich at some point that night, that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to make Chloe work for it.

“But you make them better.” Chloe leaned forward and pecked Aubrey’s lips.

“That’s because you get impatient halfway through and smash the spatula down onto it and half of it gets burnt.”

“Not everyone feels the need to set timers for everything they cook.”

“No, but if they did, then all the grilled cheeses on earth would be perfect.”

“Not everyone has a degree in waffle and grilled cheese science.” Chloe’s smile turned into a little pout. “Please grill me a cheese, Bree. I’m starving.”

“You’re starving?” Aubrey laughed incredulously. 

“Yeah, and I had a nightmare.”

“And the only thing that could soothe you was a grilled cheese?”

“Finally, you understand.” 

The next thing she knew, Aubrey was digging in the refrigerator, looking for the right cheese for Chloe’s grilled cheese.

“Thank you, babe.” Chloe said from the barstool at the kitchen island. “I love you.”

“Obviously, I love you too.” Aubrey rolled her eyes. 

* * *

It was Chloe’s turn to share the overnight shift at the clinic she worked at, Aubrey wasn’t much of a fan of those nights, but she understood why Chloe had to take the shift. Everyone else did, and just because it wasn’t during business hours didn’t mean that animals stopped getting sick. Even if Chloe sat in the vet’s office with nothing to do but twiddle her thumbs and annoy vet techs with her need to sing along with every song on the radio for six years, it was worth it if one animal got saved.

Aubrey sat with Amy, Beca, and Stacie sat together at the bar, celebrating Stacie finally being able to find a sitter that met Aubrey’s standards. Just because Bella wasn’t  _ her  _ child didn’t mean that Aubrey was going to let just anyone babysit her. Chloe had been a little disappointed that she couldn’t go with them, but when Aubrey said they could reschedule, Chloe had insisted that just because she was working didn’t mean they couldn’t have fun too. 

“So, Aubrey,” Amy asked after downing a jager bomb with the kind of speed that Aubrey hadn’t seen since college. “Flying solo tonight, I see. Did Chloe give you a hall pass?”

Aubrey furrowed her brow. She knew that hall pass had to mean something gross, so why was the only thing she could think of an Owen Wilson movie?

“It means that you can do whatever you want tonight with no consequences.” Beca explained, sipping her beer and watching in horror as Amy downed another shot. “But what Amy forgets is that your idea of fun is doing sudokus in pen while drinking whole milk through a crazy straw.”

Amy and Stacie snorted at Beca’s joke, while Aubrey rolled her eyes. 

“Like I’d ever drink  _ whole  _ milk.” Aubrey scoffed, smiling at the way Beca choked on her beer as she laughed. “And I’m a responsible adult who doesn’t need a hall pass because no matter what, I don’t ever want to hurt my girlfriend.” Aubrey took a big gulp of her drink. “So jot that down.”

“That’s adorable.” Stacie said, patting Aubrey’s shoulder. “If we weren’t friends, I’d totally sleep with you.”

Aubrey smiled and decided just to take the compliment. “Thanks, Stace.”

They chatted for a while until Amy came up with a game, Aubrey used the term loosely. The rules said someone would pose a question to the group, and whoever had the weirdest answer had to drink. And for some reason they were keeping score, Amy had been adamant that whoever drank the least was the loser because they were “too vanilla.” Aubrey had never been upset by Amy’s need to make fun of her straight laced nature.

“Weirdest place you’ve had sex?” Beca said, looking directly at Amy. 

“Why are you looking at me?” Amy asked, she actually looked offended. 

“You’re from Australia, there’s weird shit there.” Stacie said, scowling a little. 

“You could just say The Outback, and you’d have to drink this round.” Aubrey said.

“Well, I’ll have you know that the weirdest place I’ve had sex was in America.” Amy crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat. “On top of a bus.”

“Like the roof of a bus?” Beca asked, looking a little concerned.

“Yeah.” Amy nodded. 

“Was it moving?” Was the only thing Aubrey could think to ask. 

“I think it was in neutral.” Amy shrugged.

“So it was  _ running _ ?” Beca smiled and looked at Aubrey, mouthing to her.  _ It was moving. _

“Holy shit.” Stacie nodded, bumping fists with Amy. “The weirdest place I’ve had sex is either against the front door of a church or Aubrey’s bed.”

Aubrey was annoyed by that, she wasn’t about to lie.

“You were literally knocking on heaven’s door.” Amy snickered, cutting Aubrey off when she opened her mouth to speak.

“Which one of my beds have you had sex in?” Aubrey asked, ignoring Beca quietly telling her not to ask.

Stacie paused to think. “The one where you and Chloe had separate rooms.” 

“Oh thank god.”

“I said it was your bed, not yours and Chloe’s bed.” 

“That you did.”

Stacie looked at Beca. “Okay, your turn.”

Beca sighed. “I’m vanilla, you guys know that.” She thought for a second. “I once had sex in a  _ Target _ .”

“Like the bathroom?” Aubrey asked.

“Yeah.” Beca replied. “The home organization aisle got me really hot.”

“I totally understand that.” Amy said sagely. 

Aubrey couldn’t help but nod in agreement. 

“What about you, Aubrey?” Stacie smiled. For some reason, both Stacie and Amy had a weird obsession with her sex life. 

“I once had sex on a piece of playground equipment shaped like a pirate ship.” Aubrey said. “In my defense I was drunk.”

“Was there a slide on the playground?” Amy asked. 

“Yes.” Aubrey nodded. “And yes, we did slide down it afterwards.”

“Nice.” Stacie grinned, looking around the table. “So who drinks?”

“Let’s vote.” Beca suggested. “Who votes Amy on top of the bus?”

Aubrey, Beca, and Stacie raised their hands. 

“That was remarkably easy.” Aubrey said, watching Amy take a drink. “But I feel like Stacie should have to drink too. Since she defiled a church.”

“That’s very fair.” Stacie took a drink. 

Aubrey was about to make a comment when her phone started to ring. A smile formed when she checked the screen and saw that it was Chloe. She was probably having a slow night and was bored to tears. 

“It’s Chloe.” Aubrey said, answering the phone. “Hey, Chloe, what’s up?”

“You will not guess what just came on the radio.” Chloe replied, sounding excited. “Are you at the bar? Put me on speaker.”

“Okay, hold on.” Aubrey smiled and set down her phone, putting it on speaker. “Say hi, Chloe.”

“Hi guys!” Chloe greeted, earning a chorus of hellos back. “I’m super bummed that I couldn’t hang with you guys, but I’m over here. Saving lives. No big deal.”

“What came on the radio, babe?” Aubrey asked, hoping to get Chloe back on track.

“ _ The Sign _ !” Chloe exclaimed with a laugh. “And I just had to prove to Craig that I not only knew every goddamn word to that song, but that I also knew every note and could make all that music with my mouth.”

“So while we’re here getting drunk, you were singing  _ The Sign  _ at a captive audience.” Beca snickered, looking at Aubrey. “You know, I think you landed a crazy one.”

Aubrey rolled her eyes at the statement. “What did Craig say about  _ that _ ?” 

“He said that we have too much time on our hands and finally turned of ‘Ninety’s on 9’!” Chloe laughed. 

“So, you have some downtime?” Amy asked.

“Yep. I’m just sitting on my hands, finally finished my paperwork too.” Chloe replied. “Why?”

“Well, since you’re here, you can be part of our question game!” Amy announced, earning cheers from Beca and Stacie. “Basically, one of us asks a question, everyone answers, and whoever has the weirdest answer takes a drink.”

“I’m at work.” Chloe said in a matter of fact tone. “I can’t drink,”

“Aubrey’ll drink for you if you turn out to be a weirdo.” Stacie offered. 

“Yeah, Chloe, I’ll do it.” Aubrey shrugged. Chloe was already bored enough, she might as well feel included. 

“Great!” Chloe cheered. “Hit me with a good one, Amy. Let’s get Bree shitfaced.”

Aubrey held in a sigh and decided not to tell Chloe that if she got too drunk, it would be Chloe who would have to clean her up the next morning. “Yeah, Amy, hit us with a good one.”

“Okay.” Amy thought for a moment. “What’s the weirdest place you’ve ever put your chewed gum?”

Chloe snorted at that and Aubrey just rolled her eyes. She was definitely drinking.

“Stacie, you first.” Amy said, looking at Stacie expectantly. 

Stacie grinned. “I once put gum in this guy’s hood. So there’s that.”

“I love it.” Beca said, leaning back. “But I think I’ve got you beat. I once put my gum on a moving car. The one next to the car I was in.”

“I once put gum on a billboard.” Amy said, looking proud. 

“I don’t even wanna know what you were doing on a billboard.” Beca shook her head. 

“I kind of do...” Stacie shrugged. 

“Chloe, you’re up.” Amy said, looking at the phone. 

Chloe was quiet for a moment, probably pretending to think. “I once put gum inside someone else’s mouth.”

Aubrey let her head fall back and took a deep breath. 

“Explain.” Beca demanded, suddenly looking very serious. “I need details.”

“Well, Aubrey and I were making out,” Chloe said while everyone’s heads snapped to look over at Aubrey. “And I forgot that it was in there. Until she pulled away and was like ‘What the hell, Chloe?’.” 

“Wow.” Stacie laughed which Amy looked like Christmas had come early. 

“Aubrey,” Amy said, trying to hold in laughter. “What about you?”

Aubrey groaned. “Chloe’s mouth.”

The other three laughed loudly. 

“What the fuck?” Beca exclaimed when she caught her breath. “When was this?”

“Two seconds after I said ‘What the hell, Chloe?’.” Aubrey replied, earning more laughter. “What else did you think I would do with it? Keep it?”

“The best part is that Aubrey really didn’t freak out too much.” Chloe said between laughs. “That’s how I knew it was time for us to sleep together for the first time. So that’s what we did that night after I threw my gum away.”

“This is not how I imagined learning about your increasingly weird sexlife, but honestly, I’m loving it.” Stacie was grinning ear to ear. 

“Increasingly weird?” They didn’t know anything about her and Chloe’s sex life. Except for the gum thing. And the thing on the playground.

“Guys, I gotta go, a cat ate a battery, so now I have to make it poop and puke.” Chloe said, still chuckling. “Love you, Bree, see you at home.”

“Love you too.” Aubrey said before the others said goodbye and she hung up. 

“Aubrey, you have to drink twice for that gum thing.” Amy said while Stacie and Beca nodded along. “And also, please tell me and Stacie more about your weird sexlife.”

Stacie rested her elbows on the table and leaned forward. “You’ve gotta tell us.”

“I’d like to put it on the record that I do not want to know about Aubrey’s probably normal sexlife.” Beca said quickly. 

“Thank you, Beca.” Aubrey sent Beca a thankful look. 

“No prob, now take your two drinks, you weirdo.”

* * *

Chloe had lost the rock, paper, scissors match deciding who had to go out and get more italian cream coffee creamer, leaving Aubrey alone in the house. Why there even had to be a match to decide who went, Aubrey would never know, it was  _ Chloe  _ who used it. But, Aubrey had gone along with the rock, paper, scissors match, and, for the first time in the history of their relationship, actually won best two out of three. She’d neglected to tell Chloe that she would’ve gone without the match, but she’d won fair and square.

So, she was feeling pretty great at that moment. 

Aubrey stood at the counter, getting the stuff for waffles ready. Chloe hated when she had to go to the store on Sunday mornings, so she might as well have waffles ready when she got back. 

She’d made a couple waffles before her phone began to ring, it was Chloe. Aubrey furrowed her brow as she answered, quickly putting the phone on speaker. 

“What’s up, Chlo?” Aubrey asked, glancing down at her timer. 

“Do you remember what Amy got you for Christmas three years ago?” Chloe asked without greeting. 

Of course Aubrey remembered it. Amy had gotten her the same thing she gets Aubrey every year, a 5XL shirt that had some kind of lesbian phrase on it. “Was it the  _ mean lesbian  _ crop top?” 

“Yeah.” Chloe said, sounding a little annoyed. “And do you remember what I wore to bed last night? That I didn’t change out of to get coffee creamer?”

Aubrey bite her lower lip to try not to laugh. “Was it my  _ mean lesbian  _ crop top?”

“Yep.” Chloe replied. “So now, I’m walking around the grocery store at eight in the morning on a Sunday, with bed head and a crop top that is seven sizes too large for me, advertising that I’m a mean lesbian.”

Aubrey couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of Chloe, wandering around in the store, absolutely swimming in the shirt that Amy had given her for Christmas. 

“Why don’t you just put your coat on over it?” Aubrey suggested with a shrug. 

“I left it in the car.”

Aubrey laughed again. “Well, babe, I’m sorry. That really sucks.” 

“I know.”

“If it makes you feel better, I’ll have waffles waiting for you when you get home.”

“It really does.” Chloe said with a small sigh. “It really does. Wanna know something?”

“What?”

“I’m gonna marry you so hard one day.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, you just have to ask me, first.”

“Nice try, but I told you, you have to do the proposing.”

“Yeah, but it’s your turn.”

Aubrey rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say.”

* * *

Aubrey was walking to her car after work, not super excited about the commute home. Even though it was maybe a fifteen minute drive on a normal day, Aubrey knew that she’d be stuck in traffic today. There had been some snow during the afternoon and for some reason, no one in this city knew how to drive in the snow.

She checked her phone as she got in the car and smiled a little when she saw that she’d gotten a text from Chloe. Aubrey started her car and unlocked her phone, frowning at what Chloe had sent.  _ We need to talk.  _

Wracking her brain for any kind of reason Chloe would have for sending such an ominous text, Aubrey hit the call button. She tapped her fingers against the steering wheel, waiting for Chloe to answer. 

“Hey, babe, what’s up?” Chloe asked cheerfully. 

And now Aubrey was even more confused. “You said we needed to talk. What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Oh that.” Chloe laughed. “I just wanted to know if we could have Chinese tonight and Amy told me to text you that we need to talk to get your attention. I guess it worked.”

“First of all, of course we can get Chinese.” Aubrey sighed, buckling her seatbelt and putting Chloe on speaker. This was apparently not a conversation that Aubrey needed to put her full energy into. “Second, you’ll have to order delivery because it’s gonna take me forever to get home from here.”

“Yeah, screw the snow.” Chloe said. “I’m lucky I made it home in half an hour.”

“Damn, that’s good time, what road did you take?” Aubrey asked, putting her car in reverse. She shook her head and reminded herself not to get distracted. “Never mind that. And thirdly, babe, I thought you wanted to break up or to tell me some bad news. Like your parents were getting divorced or Craig died. Don’t do that again.”

“Yeah, I regretted it the moment I pressed send.” Chloe said. “But you love me, so it’s okay.”

“Yes, I do love you.”

“Oh good because I love you too and living together sure would be awkward if you didn’t love me back.”

“Hell yeah, it would.”

“Wait? Why did you think my parents were getting divorced?”

* * *

“It sucks that you can’t come, babe.” Chloe sighed as they sat in the airport. They had enough time to talk, Aubrey always made sure they were early for their flights. No matter how much Chloe insisted that they didn’t have to be.

“Yeah, I know.” Aubrey replied, taking Chloe’s hand and giving it a squeeze. “I wish I could go with you, but I really do have a lot of work to do.”

“I bet you only have to file one file.” Chloe said in a teasing tone. “You’re gonna go into work after I fly away, file your one file, then spend the weekend partying.”

“Oh really?” Aubrey smiled. “And why wouldn’t I just file my one file before leaving for the airport and go to Florida with you?”

“Because my mom and dad only have weddings on their minds.” Chloe said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

It was true, all they ever talked to Chloe and Aubrey about was wedding planning. Ever since Chloe’s brother proposed to his girlfriend, Chloe’s parents had been all over them about getting engaged. Aubrey knew that she had a good relationship with Chloe’s parents, but she also knew that it was a little weird that her girlfriend’s mom was calling her and asking about when she planned to propose to her daughter. 

“Maybe you should explain to them that it’s not that I don’t want to marry you.” Aubrey sighed. “It’s just that I’m not going to ask you. You have to propose to me.”

“Yeah, but it’s your turn.” Chloe smiled. “I suggested buying a house. The next step is getting married.”

It was stupid, Aubrey knew it. Chloe knew it too. But it was a running joke in their relationship, whoever suggested the next big step had to wait until the other suggested the next one. Aubrey knew that she wanted to marry Chloe, and Chloe knew she wanted to marry Aubrey, or at least that what she said. It was all a matter of proposing, which Aubrey had  _ told  _ Chloe on many occasions that she would not be doing. 

“It’s not my turn because I told you that I would only propose once, and you said no.” Aubrey replied quickly, a little proud of her argument. 

“That is so not what happened.” Chloe rolled her eyes. “I  _ told  _ you that if you asked me to marry you in the back of Amy’s Hummer that I’d say no. And what did you do?”

“I really wanted to be engaged to you, right then and there.” Aubrey shrugged. “Sue me.”

Chloe leaned forward and pecked Aubrey’s lips. “You’ll have to propose. Because it’s your turn. And I’m much more patient than you are.”

Before Aubrey could speak, it was announced that Chloe’s flight was boarding. With a sigh, they both stood and Aubrey saw Chloe off. She went as far as she was allowed and waved goodbye as Chloe boarded, pretending to catch the kiss that Chloe blew to her. 

Once Chloe was safely on the plane, Aubrey hurried out of the airport and back to her car. She hadn’t been lying when she told Chloe that she had work to do over the long weekend, but she hadn’t been  _ completely  _ truthful either. Either way, she was on a time crunch and needed to get to the suburbs quickly. 

It all started three weeks ago. Chloe had come home late that night, livid about the treatment of a couple puppies that she had to do checkups for. The rescue that had brought them in had gotten them from a high kill shelter in Atlanta, and according to Chloe, they were not well taken care of. One of the puppies had already caught the eye of several potential adopters, while the other had been chosen by a foster. Chloe had shown Aubrey a picture of the puppy and had said that it was a crime that no one wanted him.

Shoving a photo of a sad looking four month old, Plott Hound puppy in her face had given Aubrey the idea. Chloe had been hinting that she wanted a dog for a long time. Since their first apartment, in fact. Aubrey had always said that they could when they had a house or a pet friendly building, but with the move and other things, Chloe had forgotten Aubrey’s promise. But Aubrey hadn’t. 

Aubrey had been preparing for this since she saw the puppy. She’d already stocked the house with everything she’d need for a puppy, strategically hiding everything under her side of the bed, and two days prior when Chloe was working an extra few hours, Aubrey went in to visit the puppy and make sure he’d be a good match. He was energetic and adorable, he and Chloe would get along great. And he was already potty trained, which was another plus in Aubrey’s book. 

When she got to the foster family’s house, she was met with the puppy bouncing up and nipping at her fingers with excitement. Either he remembered her, or that’s just how he treated all the ladies. She filled out all the paperwork that the foster needed and paid the adoption fee, smiling as the puppy tried to climb into her lap. 

“Since you’ve already signed the papers, I feel like I have to warn you.” The foster had said with a wry smile on her face. “He may be adorable, but he’s a bag of hammers.”

“I pretty much say the same thing about my girlfriend.” Aubrey replied, bending down and picking up the puppy.

The foster laughed and turned her attention to the puppy. “Bye-bye, Bob Barker, I’m glad you found a home.” 

This wasn’t the first time Aubrey heard the puppy’s name, but she still winced. She was just thrilled that she was going to be able to rename the poor guy. 

“Thank you so much.” Aubrey said, shaking the foster’s hand. “You have no idea how happy you’ve made me.”

The drive home was long, but that was due to Aubrey driving slow. She had precious cargo. The puppy was shaking the whole drive back to the house, and Aubrey couldn’t blame him. It’s not like they could explain why he’d been moved around so much in the past month, or that he wouldn’t be moved again. She sighed and pet his head, taking a moment to look at him and tell him that everything was all right in the softest tone she could muster. 

It seemed to work. He leaned into Aubrey’s hand and closed his eyes, letting out a little sigh as he relaxed a little bit. Aubrey bit her lip. That was the most adorable thing she’d seen her entire life.

The foster had said that with dogs, sometimes you just know within ten minutes of meeting them that they need to be yours. The foster was completely right because within minutes of meeting the puppy the first time, Aubrey knew that she couldn’t let anyone else have him. This puppy was her puppy, and she guessed she could share with Chloe. 

They got to the house and Aubrey leashed the puppy and walked him around the front of the house and down the sidewalk a little, getting him acquainted with the smells of the neighborhood before bringing him inside. Before they’d left, Aubrey had “forgotten” her purse and had to go back inside to retrieve it. Instead she’d quickly prepared the puppy’s crate and gotten his food and water dish prepared. 

To Chloe’s credit, she only teased Aubrey a little for taking so long to get back to the car. 

Aubrey showed the puppy where the food and water was, then showed him where his crate and toys were before giving him free reign of the living room. He wandered around, sniffing around before running and grabbing a rope toy that Chloe’s coworker, Steve, had said was the most durable one on the market. 

“Aw, do you wanna play?” Aubrey knelt down and tugged the other end of the rope. 

The puppy tugged back for a few seconds, then stopped, looked at Aubrey, and jumped directly at her. 

“Okay, you weirdo!” Aubrey laughed, catching the puppy with a smile. “What’s up with that?”

Instead of responding, the puppy licked Aubrey’s nose twice, then nipped it before jumping out of her arms and running away toward the other toys. 

Aubrey watched the puppy play for a few moments with a smile. Now all she had to do was get Chloe to name him without knowing she was naming him.

* * *

“Hey, Chloe, what’s up?” Aubrey answered as she took the puppy for a walk the next morning.

“Just thought you’d wanna hear from your beautiful girlfriend first thing in the morning.” Chloe said, Aubrey could tell she was smiling. 

“Aw, so you waited till ten before calling me so it’d be seven when I answered?” Aubrey stopped walking when the puppy began to tug on the leash to go faster. 

“Yep!” Chloe said. “Did you miss me? Was the bed cold without me? Are you regretting your decision yet?”

“Actually, I’ve enjoyed taking up the entire bed.” Aubrey laughed and rolled her eyes as the puppy went over and sat by her, looking up at her expectantly. “And as for regrets, that depends on how much John Mellencamp your dad’s made you listen to.”

“Just one song.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, it’s a little ditty. About Jack and Diane.”

Aubrey smiled and resumed her walk. “Were they two American kids growing up in the Heartland?”

“Actually, yeah.” Chloe laughed. Aubrey couldn’t remember when they started talking old song lyrics to each other, but it had quickly become one of their favorite ways to joke around. “You see, Jack, he’s gonna be a football star. And Diane’s a debutant in the backseat of Jackie's car.”

“So you listened to the greatest hits CD on the way back from the airport, then?” Aubrey asked, gently steering the puppy away from the road and back onto the sidewalk. 

“Yep.” Chloe paused for a moment. “I miss you already. I had to sleep in my old room, and it was terrible.”

“We’ve slept in your old room before with minimal problems.” Aubrey was definitely playing down her and Chloe’s experiences in Chloe’s childhood bedroom. Honestly, Aubrey wasn’t sure what was worse, trying to sleep with Chloe in the twin bed, or trying to sleep with Chloe in a cot rolled up next to the twin bed. “You should be thrilled that you don’t have to share.”

“Yeah, but now we can’t have terrified and awkward sex on my childhood bed.” Chloe said with a dry laugh. She was only half kidding. 

“Honestly, I don’t think I need to do that ever again.” Aubrey never wanted to revisit that memory. “I’m pretty sure those monkey sheets will haunt me till the day I die.”

They chatted for a while, Chloe told Aubrey what was going on with her family. Apparently, Chloe’s dad was more disappointed than anyone to hear that Aubrey wasn’t coming down and was even more disappointed when he found out that Aubrey wasn’t lying and really hadn’t come. Because Aubrey was known for doing that sort of thing. 

“You know, Chloe,” Aubrey said slowly as she and the puppy returned home. “I talked to Michelle about that puppy you showed me a few weeks ago.”

“The cutest puppy on earth that no one’s tried to adopt because we live in a hellscape?” Chloe asked quickly. 

“That one.” Aubrey took off the puppy’s harness and put that and the leash away. “You know his name is Bob Barker?”

“Ew.” Chloe groaned. “That’s such a dumb name.”

And Aubrey thought Chloe would appreciate the pun. 

“I mean, I like that it’s a pun, but there are better ones out there.” Chloe said. “Like Woofdrow Wilson.”

“That was bad.” Aubrey said, measuring out the puppy’s food and pouring it into his bowl. “Wanna try again?”

“Andy Warhowl.” Chloe said after a moment. “That puppy was so adorable, he needs a better name.”

“And it has to be a pun?” Aubrey sighed, silently apologizing to the puppy. 

“Yes.” Chloe said sternly. “Hold on, I’ll ask my dad for a good dog pun.”

“Okay.” Aubrey rolled her eyes and smiled when the puppy started to scamper around the house, sniffing around for toys. 

“He says Doogie Howler.” There was no way in hell Aubrey was naming her dog Doogie. 

“Thanks, I hate it.” Aubrey said before thinking for a moment. Chloe told her terrible jokes everyday, she should be able to come up with one decent pun. “What about Barko Polo?”

“Holy shit, I love it.” Chloe exclaimed. “Oh my god! That’s definitely this puppy’s name. Barko Polo.”

“I’ll call Michelle and tell her to have the fosters change his name.”

“Do it! It’ll be easy too. Because Barker and Barko sound the same. You just have to drop the Bob.”

Aubrey smirked. “I kinda like the Bob. You know, he can go by Bob now and then when he’s old he can be Robert.”

“Nope. He’s a Barko Polo. Barko for short.” 

* * *

Aubrey spent the rest of the weekend getting Barko acclimated to her and Chloe’s house. He was for the most part, just like any other puppy, though he did have a few issues with where he could and could not potty. Aubrey was confident that she’d gotten him to see things her way, though. All it took was a bag of treats and a little bit of shaming.

They did have one issue where Barko would go off and steal her and Chloe’s shoes then bring them into the living room. He didn’t chew them, he just relocated them. Which was weird, but tolerable. 

When it came time to pick Chloe up from the airport, Aubrey put Barko in his crate and gave him the bone that the pet store had recommended before checking the mail and grinning at the package that she’d received. It was a Barkbox, that she’d specifically had addressed to Chloe. Everything was falling into place. 

“I missed you!” Chloe exclaimed when she laid eyes on Aubrey. 

The next thing she knew, Aubrey was pulled into a tight hug, which she’d returned in full. With a smile, Aubrey kissed Chloe pretty deeply, in Aubrey’s opinion, considering that they were in the airport and there was what looked to be a thirteen year old boy watching them. 

“I missed you too.” Aubrey said, grabbing Chloe’s bag as she pulled away. “How was Florida?”

“Lonely without you.” Chloe replied, kissing Aubrey again. 

“And you don’t think I hate being away from the woman I love too?” Aubrey said, smirking a little at the way Chloe made a show of looking flattered. “I mean, it hurts me every day that Fat Amy and I are apart.”

“That’s a filthy lie and you know it.” Chloe crossed her arms and feigned annoyance. “And you and Amy could never be together because, and I say this with complete confidence, if you and Amy lived together, one of you would be dead within a month.”

“We’d both be dead somehow.” Aubrey said, grabbing Chloe’s hand and heading to the exit. “Now come on, a package came for you this morning.”

“Seriously?” Chloe thought for a moment. “I don’t remember ordering anything...”

“Well, we can check the credit card statement if you didn’t order the package.” Aubrey shrugged. “You probably bought some leggings online and forgot.”

“I sure hope so!” 

The drive home was nerve wracking, suddenly all of the secret keeping that went along with the surprise puppy felt wrong to Aubrey. What if Chloe didn’t actually want Barko Polo? What if Chloe didn’t like being lied to? What if Chloe broke up with her and took Barko Polo with her? 

Aubrey gripped the steering wheel tightly. She jumped a little when she felt Chloe’s hand on her knee, Aubrey glanced at Chloe, who offered her a smile. 

“Traffic sucks right now, huh?” She said sympathetically. Aubrey felt her heart melt.

“Yeah, but it’s okay.” Aubrey shrugged. “At least I get to spend time with you.”

Chloe’s smile widened. “I know, I’m great.”

It might’ve taken forty-five minutes to get home, but having Chloe to talk to made it feel like ten. 

When they got home, Aubrey offered to take Chloe’s bag up to their bedroom, where Barko’s crate was while Chloe opened her package. She hoped that Chloe wouldn’t notice the tasteful, wooden box that the dog toys were in, but decided to roll the dice on that. With a smile, Aubrey took Barko out of his crate and gave him a kiss on the forehead. 

“Hey Mr. Polo.” She said, wrinkling her nose when he licked her face. “I missed you too.”

“Hey, Aubrey?” Chloe called from the kitchen. 

Aubrey smiled at the confused tone of Chloe’s voice. “What’s up, babe?” She called back, heading toward the kitchen with Barko in her arms.

“It’s really weird that I got a Barkbox.” Chloe replied. “Like, why would someone order a Barkbox and then send it to me? That’s really weird.”

“Yeah.” Aubrey agreed, watching as Chloe inspected the toys inside. “Kind of useless to us, huh?”

“Yeah,” Chloe nodded, still not looking over. “I guess we could donate them, right?”

Aubrey was silent as she entered the kitchen fully. 

“I mean, look at these toys!” Chloe exclaimed, turning to face Aubrey finally.

Chloe’s eyes went wide when she saw Barko in Aubrey’s arms. She dropped the toys on the floor and brought her hands up to cover her mouth, letting out a tiny shriek. Tears formed in Chloe’s eyes as she looked from Barko to Aubrey, then back to Barko, before putting out her hands for Aubrey to hand the puppy to her.

“He’s heavier than he looks.” Aubrey said, handing Barko over. 

“You...” Chloe let out a shaky breath and wiped away a tear as she sat on the floor with Barko. “You got me a puppy?”

“I got  _ us  _ a puppy.” Aubrey corrected, kneeling down to be eye level with Chloe. “Check his tags.”

Chloe checked Barko’s tags and let out a watery chuckle. “His name is Barko Polo Beale-Posen?” She fell backward when Barko lunged at her, furiously licking her face and neck. “Aubrey! I love him!”

“I know, he’s the best.” Aubrey smiled, gently lifting Barko off Chloe. “But there’s another tag on his collar.” She separated the tags and showed Chloe the smaller, round one behind his name tag.

“It says ‘your turn.’” Chloe laughed, tilting her head back and wiping away some tears. “Dammit, I’m gonna have to propose, aren’t I?”

“Well, I mean, it’s your turn.”

**Author's Note:**

> Barko Polo was a fictional character I created in 2013 way back in the days of the old Chaubrey fandom, and I couldn't resist a reboot. In case you were wondering, rebooted Barko is based off of my actual puppy named Huckleberry. 
> 
> Have a photo:  
> https://78.media.tumblr.com/18273c4ba5f6469c128d01fb1fbca00d/tumblr_p313azi4G61qkqp0do1_1280.jpg
> 
> Feel free to compliment me on my son.


End file.
